5 things you should know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump on one of his golf courses

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is safe after what the FBI called an “apparent assassination attempt” on him during a golf game, two months after another assassination attempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Local authorities said U.S. Secret Service agents protecting Trump shot a man who aimed a scoped AK rifle at him as Trump played at one of his golf courses in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Here are five things you should know about what happened to the Republican presidential candidate on Sunday.

Who is the suspect?

Police officials said the man who pointed the rifle at him and was arrested was Ryan Wesley Routh. Officials identified the suspect to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the ongoing investigation.

Records show that Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving to Kaaawa, Hawaii, in 2018, where he and his son ran a shed-building company, according to an archived version of the company’s website.

Routh frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he tried to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion. In June 2020, he made a post on X aimed at then-President Trump, saying he would win re-election if Trump issued an executive order requiring the Justice Department to prosecute police misconduct. That same year, he also posted in support of the Democratic presidential campaign of then-U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has since left the party and supports Trump.

However, his posts over the past few years suggest that he was antipathetic toward Trump, and he expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

In July, after Trump’s assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, Routh called on Biden and Harris to visit those injured in the shooting in the hospital and attend the funeral of a former fire chief who was killed at the rally.

Voter records show he registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012 and last voted in person in the state’s Democratic Party primary in March 2024. Federal campaign finance records show that since 2019, Routh has made 19 small political donations totaling $140 to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates, using his Hawaii address.

Records show that Routh had several run-ins with police while living in Greensboro, North Carolina. According to online records from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, he was convicted of possession of a weapon of mass destruction in 2002.

The case files do not contain any details. But a 2002 News & Record article says a man with the same name was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police. The article says he was stopped during a traffic stop, put his hand on a gun and barricaded himself inside a roofing business. According to state business registration records, he owned the roofing company.

How did that happen?

According to local authorities, the shooter was about 350 to 450 yards away from Trump, hiding in the bushes while the former president played a round of golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said if people stay in the bushes surrounding the course, “they’re basically out of sight.” Bradshaw said the entire golf course would be lined with police if Trump were the sitting president, but because he is not, “security is limited to the areas the Secret Service deems possible.”

Trump’s security detail is more heavily protected than that of some of his counterparts because of his high profile and campaign for the White House. His security was beefed up days before the Pennsylvania assassination attempt in July because of a death threat against Trump from Iran, U.S. officials said.

What has Trump said since the attempt?

In an email to his supporters, Trump wrote: “There have been gunshots near me, but before the rumor mill gets out of control, I want you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND I AM FINE!”

His running mate JD Vance and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said they spoke with Trump after the incident and both said he was in “good spirits.” Trump also spoke with several Fox News hosts.

Sean Hannity, a close friend of the former president and Fox News host, said on the show that he spoke with Trump and his golf partner Steve Witkoff afterward. They told Hannity they were on the fifth hole when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Within seconds, he said, Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him.

Moments later, Witkoff said, Trump was taken away in a “fast cart” with steel reinforcements and other protective devices.

Hannity said Trump’s reaction after this happened – and when it was clear that everyone, including Witkoff, was safe – was to jokingly comment that he was sad he couldn’t finish the hole because he was “tied and had a birdie putt.”

What does Vice President Kamala Harris say?

Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent in the presidential election, posted on X that she had been informed of the reports of the gunshots.

“I’m glad he’s safe. Violence has no place in America.”

The White House said President Joe Biden and Harris would be kept updated on the status of the investigation. The White House added that it was “relieved” to know that Trump was safe.

What happens next?

Trump has not announced any changes to his schedule and is expected to speak live on X from his Mar-a-Lago resort on Monday evening to unveil his sons’ crypto platform.

Meanwhile, the heads of a bipartisan congressional task force investigating the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump said they had requested a briefing from the Secret Service.

“We are grateful that no harm came to the former president, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all its forms,” ​​Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Jason Crow (D-Colo.) said in a statement. They said the task force would provide updates.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, who is part of the task force, said he would “seek answers to what happened today and what happened then.”

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.